3 Questions to Ask About Your Calling

A good friend I hadn’t talked to in a while called me out of the blue the other day. As the phone was ringing I had to make a decision on whether or not I wanted to take the time to answer this call because I knew it wasn’t going to be a short conversation by any means. In the back of my mind, I knew I had a list of things to do that day and really didn’t have the time to listen and catch up on what was new in her life. As I was looking at the screen of my cell phone, the three items displayed were the name of who was calling along with two of the more important options labeled “answer or ignore.”

Hitting the ignore option (or decline) would have sent this call directly into my voicemail where I could later listen to her recorded message and ascertain the relevance and urgency of her call. Hitting the answer option quite simply meant I made a conscious decision to answer the call and listen to the marathon of melodramatic updates about her life. Of course I’ve noticed these options on my phone before, but I never considered how much impact a simple decision between the two options denotes. Metaphorically speaking, how many times in your life have you found yourself hitting the ignore button instead of simply answering the call?

Procrastination is a something everyone can admit to falling victim to on occasions.

Often, people misconstrue storing away what we can possibly do today and placing that task on our “I-owe-you-one to-do-lists” of tomorrow. Trust me I get it, life is hectic, hard and has you heavily burdened with things you just have to get done. Many times we can find ourselves wishing for more hours in the day so we can catch up on the things we’ve neglected and deem important to us.

You’ve probably wished you:

had time for love

had time to start that business

could spend more time with your kids

teach a class

quit your job

do more community service

or research how to buy a house!

You’ve even wondered if you hit this snooze button one more time, could you still get dressed and make it without being late? There are a lot of things in your life that have you choosing to hit the ignore button. You in no way should be proud of that, but you should at least acknowledge it’s a relevant reality in your life. Simply put, “ignore” is another word for “excuse.”

Excuses are nothing more than the little lies you secretly tell yourself and ultimately try to sell to other people.

Don’t let anyone fool you into believing that life is long; it isn’t. Life is short and I guarantee you this isn’t a dress rehearsal. We only get one chance to make the best of what God has blessed us to experience.3 Questions you Need to Ask:

Who or what in your life has been calling you?

Why have you chosen to hit the ignore button?

What are the excuses you’ve been telling yourself that have detoured, deferred or discouraged you from answering the call?

I understand all to well about the voice deep down inside of you that has went from a whisper to whimper to a wailing scream. There’s been something calling you so loudly you don’t know how to turn the volume down. I understand the fear of responsibility, the fear of commitment, discipline, change, challenge and sacrifice. I understand the need to ignore the things you really want to do because you fear the consequence of leaving purposeless tasks undone. You hit ignore in fear of becoming what God has purposed you to be. You hit ignore in fear of committing to the challenge of silencing the voice of your potential awaiting your answer to action. Stop limiting yourself from the taking on the daunting task of answering the call.

Listen, you have the option of answering or ignoring calls in our life everyday. The challenge is having the courage to answer whatever calls of life come your way instead of making the excuses to ignore what you know to be your truths.

4 Steps to Answer Your Calling:

Stop procrastinating and start being proactive.

Stop making excuses and start executing.

Stop repressing and start representing.

Stop ignoring and start implementing courageous acts of committed decisions on answering whatever call comes your way regardless of the repercussions or ramifications!

Don’t worry about how you’re going to make things happen, just answer the call and figure the particulars out later. Stop delaying your destiny and answer the call. You never know who or what blessing awaits you on the other line. Of course naturally now every time your cell phone rings and you look at the screen, you can smile, remember and think about whatever truth you’ve been ignoring in your life. How ironic, I hear my phone ringing again. This time I won’t be hitting the ignore button. Answer your callings.

“Keep the faith, keep making it happen and remember to stay out of your own way!”

ABOUT THE GUEST BLOGGER

Jack A. Daniels, also known as The King of Breakthroughs is a psychotherapist, media personality, award-winning speaker and 5 time best-selling author of books such as, “I Need a Wife…Where are the REAL Women?” and “Stay Out of Your Own Way.” He’s one of the leading authorities for overcoming fears and getting people unstuck in love, relationships, business or life. Jack is a Master Storytelling Expert who helps beginning & established Speakers find their personal story and get PAID to speak. Jack has been featured on BBC, Fox News, Bravo, BET, CBS, NBC, ABC, WEtv, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, DateDaily and you can watch him every week on the FYI channel as the host of #BlackLove! Visit him at www.jackadaniels.com.